


Inevitable

by show_freak



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Decisions, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Experimentation, Fights, M/M, Minor Canonical Character(s), Past Lives, Shibusen | DWMA, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Young Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-03-26 07:06:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19000822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/show_freak/pseuds/show_freak
Summary: In which Stein and Spirit are students at DWMA.





	1. Induction

Sweat beads on the curves of his face. The sun beats down on pale skin, causing his flesh to flush red much like the tint of his hair.

It is hot in Death City, Nevada. Situated in the desert, buildings and infrastructure made of all concrete that sucks up the sun's rays and expels them back in blistering heat.

The stairs are forever stretching into the sky. Spirit can barely see the top, and he wonders if he'll make it on time. 

There are other students. Some are further behind him while others are ahead of him, closer to reaching the top. Spirit only wishes that he hadn't worn such dark clothing. The black fabric was absorbing the heat, feeling more and more like an oven with each step the weapon took.

He hadn't wanted to come to Death Weapon Meister Academy. He had other plans before this, but right after his fourteenth birthday, he'd discovered his ability as a weapon.

It was an accident. It was out of place, at a bad time. He'd woken up screaming and crying in the middle of the night, a nightmare rousing him into consciousness. His mother and father rushed in the room, alarmed by the sound of their son's screams. Upon entering his bedroom, they were even more shocked to see a multitude of blades protruding from Spirit's back and arms. 

It was then that they had discovered he was a weapon. Several weeks had passed and more instances with Spirit's weapon blood occurred. He broke things on accident, a blade sprouting from his skin to shatter a mirror or rip something apart. 

When his parents were tired of him breaking things, they decided it was time for Spirit to be enrolled at the academy. So here he is, struggling to make it all the way up the stairs. 

The desert sun is blazing, scorching Spirit's skin. He mopes up the rest of the steps, staring down at his feet. It's not until there are no more steps that he finally realizes he's made it to the academy. Spirit grins despite his exhaustion and turns to look out over the city. The view from up here is impressive. 

Spirit takes a moment to admire the view before standing under the sun for too long makes him feel as if he's melting. He moves into the shade then, relieved to be out of the way of direct heat.

He looks around. There are students scattered across the entrance of the school, many of which are wearing tags labeled "Weapon" or "Meister". He figures that he needs to get a tag as well, but doesn't know where to start.

He wanders aimlessly around, searching for any sign of what he's supposed to do when he finally spots a poster catering to new students. He follows the arrows, and somewhere along the line, a girl stumbles into him.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Excuse me. Hey, do you know where new students go?"

Spirit looks at her. She has blonde hair, an eye patch as well. He rubs the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "Uh, no. I'm new here, too."

"You are? Oh, you're not wearing a tag, so I thought you were an upperclassman."

Spirit laughs softly, looking down at her. "You're not wearing a tag either."

She smiles sheepishly, tilting her head a bit. "That's true... I just haven't found where to go yet."

"I see," Spirit says. He has an idea of where to go after following the signs, but he's still not sure. "What's your name?" The girl asks, and Spirit offers her his hand for a handshake.

"My name's Spirit."

She takes his hand, smiling warmly at him. "I'm Marie. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Spirit says. "Come on. I think we can figure out where to go." Spirit leads and Marie follows, closely behind and talking almost the whole way over.

"We should be partners, Spirit." He laughs at that, turning to look at her from over his shoulder. "Yeah? Are you a meister?"

Marie frowns and shakes her head. "No, I'm a weapon." "So am I," he replies.

"Bummer. I'll have to find someone else." She sighs as they each get a tag, both reading "Weapon".

"Alright, I'm gonna go find everyone else," Spirit says, running a hand through his hair.

"No, wait! I'll get lost again," Marie whines, and Spirit laughs, slowing down so that the other weapon can catch up.

They walk together to a classroom where other students are milling around. Meisters and weapons stand around, talking and meeting with one another, hoping to find a suitable partner.

It seems that almost no one has made a match by the end of the day, but both Marie and Spirit have made friends with another two weapons and a meister.

The meister is Sid Barrett, the weapons Azusa Yumi and Mira Nygus.

Sid and Nygus have already decided they would be partners, but they're two of only several who have made up their minds. "Yeah. Sid's going to be my meister," she hummed. "Oh? What type of weapon are you?" Marie asked.

"I'm a knife. What about you, Marie? Azusa? Spirit?"

The answers come in order.

"I'm a crossbow."

"Hammer."

"I think I'm a scythe. I'm not really sure. I can't transform at will." Spirit's admission is shaky, sheepish and embarrassed.

Marie begins to giggle, raising a hand to cover her mouth. "Hey!" Spirit cries, crossing his arms in defense. "It's not my fault. Don't laugh." 

"Sorry, Spirit." She continues to laugh, though, causing Spirit's face to redden in embarrassment.

"You can't transform at will?" Sid interrupts, head tilted a bit to the side. "No. I've tried before. I just can't for some reason. Not yet."

"That's interesting. Hm. How old are you, Spirit?" Azusa asks. "I just turned fourteen last month in July." The others seem a bit surprised.

"Seriously? When did you discover your abilities?"

"Right after my birthday. Just about, anyways."

"Woah. That's really late."

"It is?" Spirit questions, and the other three weapons begin to detail how their abilities showed themselves closer to the age of thirteen, and how they had just recently turned thirteen.

"Great. I'm the oldest and the least experienced," Spirit huffs, wondering why the weapon inside of him decided to show itself so late.

"Yeah, that's pretty weird," Sid chimes in.

The bell rings, and they're dismissed. Marie walks away with Azusa, Sid leaves with Nygus, leaving Spirit alone. 

Deciding on heading to his temporary dorm, Spirit sets off towards it. He's worried about getting lost on the way back. The academy is huge and has too many hallways, but thankfully, he manages to find the boy's dorm without too much trouble.

He checks in at the desk, about to head to his room when the man behind the desk stops him.

"Oh, Spirit. I almost forgot to mention that you have a roommate."

"Who?"

The man looks down at a list, examining it for a moment.

"His name is Franken Stein. He's a meister. Here you go." He hands Spirit a key to the room. Spirit thanks him and goes up the stairs.

Franken Stein. Spirit can't help but to laugh at the name. He could only imagine what the kid looks like. Maybe he has a bolt in his neck. Maybe he looks like the monster, or perhaps he resembles the doctor. Maybe he decided to name himself that, because who would name their child Franken Stein?

Spirit unlocks the door, walking into a living room. The room looks untouched. Maybe his roommate hasn't been here yet.

He wanders around the dorm, opening doors and looking around. He finds the bedroom, spotting two beds besides one another. Since he arrived first, Spirit chooses which side of the room he wants to be his, and starts to pack away his belongings. He knows he'll be living here for a few months at the very least, at least until he finds a meister he's comfortable enough to move out with.

He turns at the sound of a door opening, expecting to see another kid standing there. Instead, he's heard the front door open, and his roommate doesn't appear for several minutes.

When the bedroom door finally opens, Spirit's facing the boy, eyes wandering over pale skin and gray, silver hair.

It takes him a moment to come to his senses and speak up. "Hey. Are you Franken Stein?"

"Yes."

"I'm Spirit."


	2. Red

He is greeted with red.

"I'm Spirit."

Stein can't think for a moment. He's consumed by red, caught up in the vibrance of his roommate's hair. He's silent. The boy gazes at him. They're both silent. He can't think of what to say.

"You're my roommate, I'm guessing?" Spirit asks, dragging Stein back to reality. "Yes."

"You're a meister, right?"

"Yes. And you're a weapon?"

"Mhm. Do you have a partner?"

"No."

"Neither do I. Maybe we can be partners."

"Maybe."

Stein realizes he's still standing in the doorway. He pulls his suitcase with him into the bedroom, moving over to the side of the room that Spirit isn't occupying to begin unloading his belongings, which aren't much.

Spirit, on the other hand, had finished packing away his things. He climbs up onto the bed, looking over at his roommate. "How old are you, Franken?"

"Don't call me that. You can call me Stein."

"Fine. How old are you, Stein?"

"Thirteen."

"I'm fourteen. I'm your senpai."

"That's great."

Spirit furrowed his brows, sitting up straight to see Stein better. What was up with this guy?

"You're not much of a people person, huh?"

Spirit earns a laugh from that. At least, what he thinks is a laugh. "You're right."

Spirit frowns, watching the younger boy. Was this kid serious? He was so boring. He couldn't believe this runt was his roommate.

He sighs, falls back against the bed. There is silence between them until Stein speaks up. "What kind of weapon are you, Spirit?"

Spirit bites his lip, face flushing red in embarrassment. "I'm a scythe. I think."

"You think?"

He raises his hand to the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm not able to transform at will," he admits. "Not yet."

Stein gets up from his spot on the floor, closing the drawer that he had been using. He moves to sit on the bed, facing Spirit who is sitting cross legged on his own bed.

"Try it."

"I thought I just told you I can't."

"Try it anyways."

Spirit huffs and crosses his arms, looking over at the other. "I don't think that you meisters get it." He starts to go on, not noticing the way Stein looks semi amused, a smirk on his face. 

"Not all weapons can just transform at will, you know. It's something you have to know how to control. But you meisters just think it's sooo easy," he continues, but Stein isn't listening anymore, only watching the way the red falls over Spirit's face.

"Are you done yet?"

Spirit stops rambling, looking up at Stein. "Did you even hear a thing I just said?"

He'd heard about half of it. But rather than answering truthfully, he wants to see how far he can push Spirit. "No. I wasn't listening."

The weapon's face twists and he glares at Stein, which provokes another smirk from the meister.

"Alright, fine. Nevermind."

Spirit stands. Stein watches the way his hair falls over his shoulders, eyes wandering over the curtain of red.

"I'm gonna go get dinner." He reaches over to his nightstand, grabbing the envelope that held their weekly allowance from the academy. "See you later." He pockets the envelope and leaves. 

Stein is alone. He opens his laptop and sets it on the desk in the corner, then moves back to the bed to lift his suitcase into his lap. He takes out a small case and rolls several dials until they display certain numbers. The case clicks, the lid pops open, and Stein folds the lid back. 

He's presented with an array of tools. Scissors and scalpels and pliers are tucked neatly into the case, reflecting the light from the lamps in the room. He looks down at the metal. He'll use these later.

Stein closes the case, locks it back up, and stores it in his nightstand. He'd like to use them when Spirit gets back and falls asleep, but he doesn't want his blood to stain the bedsheets.

He'd seen a building on the way to Death City, just outside the city's boundaries. Maybe that could serve as his lab soon. Maybe he could convince his weapon to move into the lab with him.

His weapon.

He needs to start thinking about a weapon. Spirit is ideal, of course. Stein is drawn to the vibrance of the boy, the color of his hair. He wants to know if his hair color matches the color of his blood. He wants to know now.

It's late when Spirit returns. The door creaks open and clicks shut. Stein is seated at the desk, typing away at his computer. 

"Hey," Spirit hums as he comes inside the bedroom, tossing his jacket on the bed. Stein glances over at him, offering a wave of his hand before he continues working on his computer.

He can see Spirit's reflection in the monitor, and he watches as Spirit undresses and changes into his pajamas. Stein stares at the reflection, taking in all that he can of the weapons smooth skin.

He watches as Spirit lays down and pulls the covers over himself. "Night, Stein."

"Goodnight."

Spirit turns the lamp off, and the room goes dark except for the glow of Stein's computer.

An hour passes, and Stein is sure that the weapon is asleep. His breathing has evened out. Stein wonders how heavy of a sleeper Spirit is. He closes his laptop and goes to Spirit's bed, sitting next to the other. 

Spirit radiates heat. Stein feels as if it's from his hair, as if it were a flame. He knows it's not, however. He tangles a hand into Spirit's hair, fingers brushing against his scalp.

The weapon stirs. Stein holds his breath and looks down at the other. He can see Spirit's eyes moving behind his eyelids. "Spirit," he whispers. There's no answer. 

"Spirit," he tries again, this time a bit louder. Still no answer. He's asleep. Stein lets his hand come down Spirit's neck, fingers still caught in strands of red. He feels for the weapon's pulse. It's constant and unwavering, similar to his soul wavelength. He really is asleep. He's not faking it. 

Spirit rolls over, hair falling over his face. Stein brushes it back and gets off the bed. He's found his new subject. His greatest experiment. And hopefully, his weapon.


	3. Partners

It's been a month. They're slowly adjusting to life at the academy and the deadline for choosing a partner is coming up. 

"Spirit? Have you found a partner yet?" Marie asks. It's lunchtime. There are six of them seated at a table in the cafeteria.

"No, not yet. I have an idea of who it might be, though."

"Oh yeah? Who?" 

"Stein. My roommate."

Marie gasps, almost jumping out of her seat. "That cute kid? Gray hair? Green eyes?" Spirit laughs, looking up from his plate. "Yeah, that's him." She giggles and clasps her hands together.

"He's so cool, Spirit, you're lucky." Spirit laughs more. "Well, you're welcome to be his partner instead."

"Oh, no, I already picked someone. Kami? The blonde girl in our class? Yeah. She's my meister."

"We should trade," Spirit suggests with a grin. Marie chuckles and shakes her head. "No. As much as I'd love to be partners with Stein, I like being Kami's weapon." 

It's almost settled. Marie and Kami, Nygus and Sid, and Azusa and her meister, whose name slipped out of Spirit's mind.

"So you're pretty sure Stein will be your meister?" Sid asks, and Spirit nods. "Yeah. I don't know who else I'd go to. And I don't know who Stein would go to, either. He's not very social."

The table giggles, and Spirit smiles sheepishly. "Yeah, where is he, anyways? How come he doesn't sit with us?"

Spirit turns to look over his shoulder as if the meister would suddenly be there. His eyes scan the cafeteria before he shrugs. "I think he goes back to the dorm for lunch. I think he just messes with his computer. I doubt he eats."

"Hmm. He's kinda weird, isn't he?" Sid asks, and Spirit laughs. "Yeah. I don't really care though, y'know. He seems like he could be a promising meister."

"He surely is," Azusa chimes in. "Remember that exam we took last week? Stein scored highest."

Marie looks surprised. "He beat you, Azusa?"

"Yes. Only by a couple of points, but still. He had a perfect score."

"That's impressive," Marie replies, standing with her tray to throw it away. Nygus follows, and they both come to sit back down. 

"Speaking of tests," Nygus starts, "are you guys going to apply for the EAT class? The deadline to take the entrance exam is Friday."

Spirit nearly chokes. He's been planning on taking the exam for the past week now, but he's continuously forgotten. "Friday? Already? Uh oh."

"What's wrong, Spirit?"

"Nothing, I just keep forgetting. I need to do that."

"Oh. Just make a note on your phone or something."

"I already did," he says with a sigh.

The bell rings. It's time to head to class. They pack up their things and head out of the cafeteria to their classes.

Spirit slides in the desk next to Stein, looking over at him. "Hey."

"Hmm?" Stein doesn't look up from the notebook he's writing in. 

"Do you have any idea as to who your weapon will be?"

Now, Stein looks up. His eyes meet Spirit's, green gazing into blue. "Yes."

Stein's gaze is piercing. Spirit feels like Stein can see right through him. "Yeah? Who?"

"I was hoping you would agree to be my weapon. After all, we're roommates. I think it would just be convenient."

Spirit feels relieved to have found a meister. He'd been getting worried for a while. He'd been one of the only kids without a partner for a few weeks. "I'll agree to that. Sure." 

"Then it's settled," Stein says, offering the weapon a small smile. Spirit returns the gesture, finding it strange that Stein actually smiled, but liking it nonetheless. 

Stein then turns back to his notebook, continuing to write. Spirit hesitates before beginning to write as well.

Class goes by quickly. Maybe because he's focusing for a change, trying to follow in Stein's footsteps. After all, they're a team now, and his meister won't be pleased if he's slacking. So he does his best to appease his partner.

When the bell rings and class is dismissed, Spirit grabs his belongings and waits for Stein before leaving. "Are you going to study for the test tomorrow?" Stein asks as they walk, and Spirit shrugs. "Maybe. I dunno. We'll see."

Stein doesn't really like the answer, but it's better than a no.

They head back to their dorm. Spirit yawns and stretches out while Stein closes the door behind them. "Now that we're partners, are we going to get an actual place together?" The weapon asks, looking at his meister.

"We could. It would be beneficial."

"Yeah? Then where would we stay?"

"I've had my eye on a place, actually," Stein begins, thinking back on the building he saw on the way to Death City. "I'd like to turn part of it into my lab."

"Your lab?" Spirit questions, furrowing his brow. He knew that Stein was into science, and he'd recently learned of his meister's more destructive tendencies of dissection, but he hadn't thought Stein was that interested in it all.

He can't help but to laugh, running a hand through his hair as he shakes his head. "You're something else, Stein. But, whatever. As long as you leave me some space."

"You'll have plenty of space, Senpai," Stein assures him, and Spirit nods. "Alright. I'll be willing to check out the place."

"Perfect."

Spirit passes his meister and goes to the kitchen, rummaging around for something. What, Stein is unsure of. He watches the weapon for a brief moment, then turns and goes to their bedroom.

Spirit follows several minutes later and sits curled up on his bed. Stein glances at him, then goes back to studying his computer. "So we're officially partners now?" Spirit asks, looking over at the meister, who doesn't take his gaze off of his laptop. "That's right."

"Cool," Spirit said, more to himself than Stein, a smile crossing his lips.

They spent the rest of the day in the dorm, studying and finishing homework. When it was finally time for bed, Spirit shuts the lights off and crawls into bed.

"Night, Stein."

"Goodnight, Spirit."

Stein was always the last one to fall asleep. He was never tired feeling, really. And he is too interested in the weapon to go right to sleep anyways. When he is sure that Spirit has fallen asleep, Stein tosses his legs off of the side of the bed and stands. He kneels down next to his nightstand, pulling out his case of tools.

Just a little incision. Just to test the waters. Just a scratch.

He unlocks the case and grabs his scalpel, bare feet padding across the carpet to Spirit's bed. He can just barely make him out through the dark.

Stein bends over the weapon, scalpel catching the moon light that seeps in through the window.

He knows Spirit is a heavy sleeper. The weapon shouldn't wake. He drags the blade across the length of Spirit's arm, sinking it into his skin near his wrist. Blood collects at the surface, and Stein wipes it away with his thumb, pressing his thumb to his lip.

His blood is nearly the same color as his hair, Stein is delighted to see. He watches as more blood collects, and wipes it away once more. The cut is small. Just a scratch. Stein verifies that the bleeding had stopped, and goes to disinfect his scalpel. He returns it to its rightful place, sinks into bed, and begins to drift to sleep.

He wants to see Spirit's blood again. He'll save it for tomorrow.


	4. Scythe

"Transform, Spirit."

It's been two months at DWMA. They've only been partners for one, and things are still shaky.

"I can't."

Stein pinches the bridge of his nose, furrowing his brows in irritation. "You did it the other day."

"And I don't know how it happened."

"Y'know, Spirit, for being one of the oldest students in our class, you sure don't have much skill," Stein quips, earning a heated reaction from Spirit.

"Look, midget, you don't know what it's like to be a weapon," Spirit hisses, grabbing Stein's collar and dragging him closer. Stein is a bit surprised, but unfazed overall. 

"Yeah? Then why don't you show me?" Spirit growls, rearing his arm back, ready to punch his meister. He knows it's bad, he knows Stein is right, but he's frustrated, and he can't sort through the anger.

His fist is about to connect with Stein's face when his arm suddenly warps, bending into a dark blade that cuts across the meister's cheek without his permission. Alarmed, Spirit gasps and drops Stein, stumbling away from his partner. Stein only grins, watching his weapon.

Spirit is panicked, concerned about the cut on Stein's face, and confused as to why his weapon blood had to activate now of all times.

"Fuck. I didn't mean to do that, Stein, are you okay?" He pulls him closer once again, lacking the malice that was in his previous intentions.

"I'm fine, Spirit. It's okay. It's just a scratch." He wipes the blood away from his cheek, smearing it instead on his pant leg.

"Are you sure? You're bleeding- Why are you grinning like that? What's so funny?"

Stein goes to the bathroom in their dorm, and Spirit follows. "I was right."

"Right? Stein, what are you talking about?"

"I thought that if I provoked you, I could get you to transform." Stein leans over the counter in the bathroom to examine the cut in the mirror. It's not deep. Only long. "And I was right, to an extent."

Spirit can't help but to shake his head, hands shaking as he opens the cabinet to grab a box of bandages. He fumbles with the box, adrenaline causing him to tremble. It takes him a moment, but he pulls out a bandage and tears the wrapper off.

Stein is pouring peroxide into the wound when Spirit looks back, and he cringes at the sight and sound of the bubbles forming in the wound. Spirit puts some ointment on a Q tip, waiting for Stein to finish with the peroxide before proceeding.

"You may have been right, but look where it got you." Spirit presses Stein against the counter, leaning over him to dab the ointment onto the cut.

"I'm fine. How many times do I have to tell you? It's just a scratch, Senpai." 

Spirit still won't buy it, worried for his meister's sake, and smooths the bandage over the cut. "Whatever. You're stupid for that."

He backs away from his meister, eyes wandering him. Stein still looks amused, which further irritates Spirit.

"Think you can transform yet?" Stein asks, pushing Spirit out of the bathroom, following behind him.

Spirit laughs, stumbling as Stein pushes him.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Try it."

And so he does. He sighs, closes his eyes, and focuses. He can do it. He knows he's able to. He's already formed the blade before, and it's beginning to be more at will.

He feels a hand on his back, which startles him at first. He's trying to focus, and Stein touching him only disturbed his thought. But the hand is a comforting weight, and he feels closer to Stein through physical touch, and if he could see souls like meisters can, Spirit would believe that their souls would be resonating, connected.

Stein watches Spirit as he stands there with his eyes closed. It's interesting. Spirit is right in that he doesn't know what it's like to be a weapon, but he doesn't need to know to get his partner to transform.

It feels as if Spirit's temperature has dropped drastically, going from warm, soft skin underneath Stein's hand to cool steel instead. Spirit's shape bends and twists, and in a matter of seconds, Stein isn't touching the weapon's back; instead, his fingers are closed around a long staff in the shape of a cross, a sleek blade forming right before his eyes.

"Stein! I did it!"

Stein is startled out of his focus by Spirit's voice. He turns to find the source, and catches a glimpse of Spirit's reflection in the weapon. He's grinning, red hair draped over bare shoulders. Spirit is laughing, and Stein begins to as well, watching the weapon's face on his blade. 

"I told you you could do it," Stein says, twirling the scythe around. He's careful not to hit anything and break it. He doesn't need to take money out of his allowance the school gives him to pay for damaged property.

He sets the scythe down, blade against the floor. Stein kneels next to Spirit, running his fingers across the blade. 

"Hey," Spirit says, still grinning. 

"Hi, Spirit."

"What do you think? Pretty cool, huh?"

Stein smiles involuntarily. "Yeah. Pretty cool."

He transforms again and is standing, reaching down to offer his hand to Stein. Stein takes it, thanks him, and pats him on the back.

It's good to have his meister's approval, Spirit thinks to himself. It's good to have impressed Stein, or at least to have pleased him. And Stein is certainly pleased that he finally has a functioning weapon. And if he's honest, he takes pride in having access to one of the two scythes in their class.

Spirit is giddy for the rest of the day, so excited that he puts off his homework for class. It's nearly midnight when Stein comes into the bedroom, looking at Spirit, who seems to be engaged in a group call.

"Spirit? Did you do your homework?"

"Oh, no. I'll get to it. I'm on the phone. Come here. Come say hi."

He's hesitant, but he makes his way over to Spirit's bed and looks at the screen. He can see Azusa, Marie, Sid and Nygus, and Kami. They all greet him simultaneously, then resume their conversation.

"Qualifying scores for the EAT class come out tomorrow. Are you going to see them?" Marie asks, leaning closer to the camera.

Tomorrow was Saturday, but they had to make it up to the school to see their exam scores.

"I want to go, yeah," Spirit says, moving over so Stein can actually have a spot on the bed. The meister sits next to his weapon, barely in the frame of the camera. "Can we go, Stein?"

"Obviously. I want to see my score as well." Spirit rolls his eyes. "Everyone knows you and Azusa made it, no doubt." Everyone except Azusa and Stein laughs, while the two of them just sit, smug.

Spirit doesn't get to his homework. He falls asleep on the call, laptop on the bed, head on Stein's shoulder. Stein's a bit uncomfortable being on the call without his weapon, and says goodnight, and hangs up.

He closes the laptop, places it on the nightstand, and gets out of Spirit's bed. It might've been nice, laying there with a warm body, but he wants his own space. Stein covers Spirit's body with the sheets, then turns off the lights. 

He refrains from making another incision on Spirit tonight. He doesn't feel the need.


	5. EAT

The next morning, it is Spirit who wakes up first. He comes crashing down onto Stein's bed and body, earning a groan from the meister, who is still half asleep.

"Come on, Stein, get up. We have to go check our test scores. Wake up." There's still excitement in his voice, left over from yesterday's accomplishment of transforming.

Normally, Stein would've gotten up, but considering how eager Spirit sounds, he chooses to tease the weapon. He rolls out from under Spirit and puts his head under the pillow, feigning sleep. 

It was quiet for a moment, and then Spirit whines, shaking Stein's shoulder. "Stein, wake up. We have to go see our grades." The meister simply stays quiet, further upsetting Spirit.

"I know you're awake, Stein. Don't do this to me. Get up." He pinches his partner, earning something of a yelp. Stein sits up and rubs his side, cutting a glare at Spirit, who smiles sheepishly.

"That's what you get. Now hurry up." Spirit turns then, heading out of their shared bedroom. Stein huffs and gets out of bed, looking in the mirror at his clothing. It's crumpled up from sleeping in it, but he doesn't care. He slips on his shoes and drags a comb through his hair and walks out to meet Spirit.

"That's what you're wearing?" Spirit asks, looking his partner up and down. "Yes. What about it?" The weapon shakes his head, walking outside.

Stein walks behind him. He can see the cuts he's made on Spirit, the scratches on his arms. Spirit hasn't said anything of it. Perhaps he hasn't noticed yet.

They walk to the academy, through the halls until they reach their classroom. A list is posted besides the door. Spirit walks up to it, biting his lip subconsciously as his eyes scan the paper in search of his name.

Stein is next to him, finger wandering over the list. "Ah. I qualified." Spirit hums in acknowledgement, still searching for his name.

He can't find it. "Stein," he says after a moment, tearing his eyes away from the list. "I don't see my name."

Stein furrows his brow. "Did you not qualify? Hmm." He searches the list and Spirit watches anxiously. "What are you talking about, Spirit? It's right here." He points, and Spirit looks, sighing in relief. "I was worried there for a minute..."

Stein can't help but to laugh at Spirit's relief. He shouldn't be so surprised. Even if he was a little late, Stein believes that Spirit is a promising weapon. He's seen it for himself. 

"You're something else, Spirit. Let's go." He turns to walk back in the direction they came from, his weapon trailing behind him. "I can't believe I made it in the EAT class," Spirit says from behind Stein, causing the latter to roll his eyes. "Why are you so surprised?"

"Well, I don't get the best grades, and it took me a while to transform, so... I just didn't think I'd make it," Spirit says, walking so that he's next to Stein rather than behind him. 

Stein simply shakes his head as they continue to walk down the hall and back to their dorms.

Spirit runs his mouth about something or other, whatever it is, Stein tuned out minutes ago and he's sure that Spirit has already changed the topic. He's quite the social kid, and although they're partners now, the meister still finds the weapon a bit annoying at times. He can't help it. He likes the quiet. 

They arrive back at the dorm eventually, and almost as soon as they step foot in the door, Spirit is ready to leave again. "I'm gonna go get some things from the store. We're running low on stuff."

"Alright. Bye." The door closes, and Stein is alone. He's thankful for the quiet, but the dorm does feel empty without Spirit. It feels cooler. He's alone for some time, and it's late in the afternoon by the time Spirit comes back.

"A little help?" Stein hears the call from the other room, and he gets up from the desk he's sitting at to help Spirit put the groceries away.

"I accidently spent the rest of my allowance at the store, so I hope I got enough stuff for the week," he says, moving to put things away in the pantry and the fridge.

"It's fine if you didn't. I still have most of my allowance," Stein replies, helping to pack away the groceries. Spirit hums in satisfaction, throwing away the empty grocery bags.

The sound of a phone ringing draws Spirit away from the kitchen, and Stein watches the weapon nearly trip over the carpet as he rushes to his phone. He bites back laughter and finishes up with the groceries.

Spirit's on the phone for what feels like an hour, and Stein hasn't quite figured out who he's talking to yet. They've been discussing qualifying scores for the EAT class and Spirit sounds excited, so he assumes that whoever he's talking to has qualified as well. 

"Who was that?" Stein asks once Spirit has hung up. "It was Sid. He said that he and Nygus qualified. He also said that he talked to Marie and Kami and Azusa, and that they qualified too."

Stein wasn't surprised. They were all intelligent and all capable. "That's good." 

"Yeah. We'll have the same class as them next year."

"I know," Stein says.

The rest of the day passes relatively fast despite neither of them really doing anything. The day is over, and the dorm is silent.

[Yikes lmao sorry this chapter was so gross. It's about to get better, I promise. Also if anyone wants to do a Stein and Spirit roleplay with me, hmu 👀]


	6. Third Year

The first year of classes were the basics. It was simple, easy, paced slowly. And then the next year, a handful of gifted students were moved up to the EAT class. They were taught to fight. It was the beginning of their third year at DWMA, and this year, they were assigned to begin collecting the souls of people at risk of becoming a Kishin. Those who managed to collect 99 evil souls and the soul of a witch would create a Death Scythe.

Classes started in a week. In the meantime, students were moving out of the school dorms and into apartments. Except for Stein and Spirit, who were moving into some laboratory on the outskirts of the city.

"I can't believe you talked me into this, Stein," Spirit says, dragging his suitcase behind him. They were headed to the bus stop, ready to move into their new place for the next two years. 

Stein looks over his shoulder, eyeing the weapon. His appearance had changed over the last few years. His hair had gotten longer, his face more serious. He was only sixteen though, Stein as well. 

"Why not? It's better than any cramped apartment we would have gotten," he says, handing Spirit his ticket for the bus. Spirit takes the ticket, holding it between two fingers. "This place is going to be creepy as fuck."

Stein just smirks, rolling his eyes. "Oh yeah, one more thing. If I end up with more random cuts, then I'm sure that there's a ghost here and we're leaving."

"There's no such thing as ghosts, Spirit."

"You've just never had a paranormal experience."

Stein snorts, looking back at his partner. "And you have?"

"Yes! Multiple."

"Oh, whatever."

They arrive at the bus stop a little later, and the two of them step on the bus and hand the driver their tickets. Stein makes his way to the back, and Spirit follows. 

They sit besides each other and the bus soon fills up.

"Get off of me. You're practically in my lap," Stein says, pushing at the weapon, who pushes him back. "It's not my fault. I'm being forced over here by everyone else."

Stein huffs and quits pushing, slumping into the chair instead. Spirit mimics the action, sliding down into the seat.

A short time later, the bus stops and people begin to get off. Spirit's suitcase is a bit too wide for the doorway of the bus, and he struggles to get out with it. He's on the last step when Stein kicks the bag, dislodging it abruptly. Spirit yelps when he trips on the step, nearly losing his balance and falling to the ground. He's quick to ground his feet, however, and huffs, looking at Stein, who gracefully exits the bus.

"Thanks a lot," Spirit mutters, making it clear that he means it as a joke. "No problem," Stein returns.

"So you're seriously going to make your part of the place your lab?"

"Yes."

"Why? What are you even going to be testing?"

"I don't know. Different things." Of course, the main one was going to Spirit. Spirit and himself, and whatever other unlucky soul he could get his hands on.

Spirit just huffed, shaking his head. Over the last two years, he'd gotten used to his meister's more... interesting... habits, but he still thought it was a bit weird. Stein surely had a few loose screws. The day that was confirmed for Spirit was the day he found Stein attempting to pull a kid limb from limb. 

"Well. We're here." Stein stops walking, Spirit nearly bumping into him. "This sucks." Spirit says. 

"No it doesn't. Don't be a baby."

He pushes the door open and it screeches, which earns a whine from Spirit. A blast of cold air comes from inside, which may be the only thing Spirit likes about the place. It's cold, refreshing compared to the sweltering heat offered by the city.

Stein drops his things by the door, taking a lap around the place, examining the rooms. Spirit figures he's looking for his lab area and shudders. He's just glad that Stein's kept his hands to himself for experimentation.

In the mean time, Spirit heads down the hall with his things to settle into his new room. That'll be nice. Having his own space separate from Stein's. He never minded sharing a room with his meister, but now, it's better they have their own rooms. Especially with Stein's... strange tendencies.

He unpacks some of his belongings before laying down, yawning and reaching over to turn the lamp off. A nap won't hurt. And he can finish unpacking his things when he wakes up. 

When he wakes up, he looks around the room with a fuzzy gaze, squinting. Why was the light on? He could've sworn he turned it off. Spirit sighs and moves to sit up, only then realizing that he was stuck.

He's struck with fear, a look of horror crossing his face. He doesn't want to look too see what's holding him down, but he has to know. He has to try to get away.

Spirit sees that he's strapped down to some table, wrists and ankles bound. Is he even in his own home anymore? And where is Stein? Why isn't he helping him get up?

One of his questions is answered when his partner comes into the room, mask covering his face and gloves on his hands.

"Ah, you're awake. Good morning, sleeping beauty." Good morning? How long had he slept?

Spirit writhes against his restraints, cursing at Stein. "What the fuck did you do to me, you freak? Let me go." He struggles more, and something gives way, releasing Spirit, who tumbles to the floor. "Spirit! Get back here. I'm not done with you."

A gloved hand reaches for Spirit's collar, and that's his cue to run. He runs into the bathroom, Stein's footsteps audible behind him. He fumbles with the lock on the door, and can't quite figure it out. Stein slips into the room and raises a scalpel over Spirit's head, who stumbles back into the shower, trying to hold the shower door closed. Why wasn't there a lock on the shower door? He thought there was. Why did he run here? There was no lock.

Stein was grabbing at the door, trying to force it open, fighting against Spirit. "Stein, Stein, quit," Spirit cries, feeling weak and sick to the stomach. "This isn't funny, Stein, stop it, quit, Stein, Stein!" He gasps as the door suddenly slides open, and the rest is a blur of red.

He gasps, and this time, when he tries to sit up, nothing holds him back.

It was a dream. 

Just a nightmare.

Spirit sighs, wiping his sweat from his forehead. The door to his room creaks open, and his meister pokes his head inside. He's not wearing a mask or gloves and he's not carrying a scalpel. The weapon huffs in relief, eyes adjusting to the light that's coming from the hall, illuminating Stein from behind.

"Spirit? I heard some whining or something. Everything okay?" It's unusual to hear Stein concerned about his wellbeing. 

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just... Had a weird dream, that's all."

"Okay. I'll be in the other room if you need me." And with that, Stein closes the door, as normal as he can get.


End file.
